So how much do these 15 different professions really get paid?

Gavin Ledwith

Most of us think that other people in other professions earn more than we do for less graft.

With that in mind, home education service Oxford Open Learning conducted salary expectation research with British workers to see what they think people in other professions earn.

In 10 out of 15 cases, the salary expectation was overestimated.

Dr Nick Smith, courses director and founder of Oxford Open Learning Trust, said: “A previous study we carried out found that money is the biggest motivator behind changing careers, followed by better working hours and personal interest.

“However, the results of this survey show Brits are overestimating the salaries earned by many professions.”

The position of head teacher was underestimated most, with a salary expectation of £50,000 compared to actual earnings of £76,192 – a 34.4 per cent difference.

Meanwhile, posts such as nurse, administrator and chief executive had the closest salary expectation results.

Here are the average actual salaries with outsiders' expectations in brackets.